Rached Ghannouchi’s Plight Deserves More Attention

As a former politician and former president who has long spoken out against political persecution, I feel duty bound to draw attention to the plight of the imprisoned Tunisian politician Rached Ghannouchi. Though his detention was supposed to end this summer, it looks as though it will now be extended.  That prospect pains me, as it should any true believer in democracy. Ghannouchi has served his country and its people with decency. He does not deserve to be forgotten behind bars.

In March 2012, following Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution, I was the first foreign president to address the country’s Constituent Assembly. I told the Assembly that I was heartened and impressed by the emerging national consensus among secularists and conservatives – a significant feat and a sign of democratic maturity. As I stated in my address, «The whole world, especially the Arab and Islamic world, struggling for freedom, justice, rights, and dignity, had turned their minds and hearts to Tunisia».

After 25 years of one-man rule, Tunisia was sending a clear message to the world: Democracy is not a form of governance exclusive to the West. Behind this message was a wise man who was setting an example for everyone with his dedication to democratic principles and tolerance: Ghannouchi.

The founder and leader of Ennahda, the Islamic democratic movement in Tunisia, Ghannouchi is a sophisticated intellectual who believes in the possibility of coexistence even among profoundly different people and groups. He is also a courageous religious scholar who has sought to provide a contemporary interpretation of Islamic understanding featuring a clear commitment to the values of freedom and democracy (though he never received the recognition he deserved in this domain), and he has long been a brave advocate for women’s rights in society, the economy, and religious institutions.

These principles made Ghannouchi an exemplary political leader both in Tunisia and around the world. But they have not made his life easy. Born in 1941, he was a political prisoner in the 1980s before spending 22 years in exile in Europe. When Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in 2011, he returned to his homeland and was immediately welcomed as Tunisia’s most popular politician. At that point, he could have taken the easy path, as many of his contemporaries did, by campaigning on populism, securing Ennahda’s place as the dominant party, and pursuing his preferred policy agenda without compromise.

Instead, he took a risk, opting for the path that is rarely chosen in the region. He made a point of compromising with others and building broad coalitions, governing with secularists, social democrats, and other groups. Rather than standing for office (as so many wanted him to do), he paved the way for younger generations, while tempering more radical voices within his own party. And when the time came, he did not try to monopolize power under single-party rule, but rather supported the prominent secular human-rights activist Moncef Marzouki’s candidacy for the presidency.

Whenever a new political or social crisis erupted, he consistently spoke up for a state in which «the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separate, the rule of law is supreme, and the freedoms of conscience, expression, and association are guaranteed».

He knew that repeating the past mistakes of single-party rule wouldn’t offer sustainable peace and stability for Tunisians.

Owing to the visionary, inclusive approach that he fostered, the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (a group of civil-society organizations that helped secure a new democratic constitution) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. Tunisia had adopted a constitution that could serve as a model for the rest of the region.

The main pillars of Tunisian society – secularists, liberals, Islamists, and leftists – had achieved a difficult but broad compromise in the interest of pluralism and freedom. It was an extraordinary moment for the Middle East, North Africa, and the broader Muslim world.

But the Tunisian story didn’t end as well as it started. Three years ago, Tunisia’s democratically elected parliament, where Ghannouchi was serving as speaker, was suspended and then dissolved. The government was dismissed. Then, last April, Ghannouchi was arrested and sentenced to a year in prison in May. And, recently, a Tunisian court sentenced Ghannouchi to an additional three years in prison, in what appears to be an attempt to prolong his incarceration arbitrarily.

The extended imprisonment of Ghannouchi, who is 82, negates the inspiring message that Tunisia sent to the region and the world 12 years ago. Tunisians need to consolidate the democratic transition that Ghannouchi did so much to bring about, not its reversal. Tunisia needs more participation, not more parochialism.

The prosecution of such a moderate political figure in a Muslim society bodes ill for other political actors advocating similar ideals of coexistence and tolerance.

It is therefore my personal hope that Ghannouchi’s detention will soon be brought to an end.

This would be a solid gesture for Tunisia, a country that has traditionally embodied the spirit of freedom, tolerance, and the precious legacy of Ibn Khaldun.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2024. www.project-syndicate.org

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